PETALING JAYA: The government should find the budget to ensure the Madani medical scheme is available in 70 districts across the country as originally planned, says Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.
He said the promise made in the 2024 budget had been distorted in less than three months into the year, referring to a statement by health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad that the programme will now focus on 10 specific districts.
Syed Saddiq questioned the government’s inability to implement the scheme across the country, so that those in the B40 lower-income group could seek treatment at private clinics at government-subsidised rates.
He said the RM100 million budget needed represented only a small chunk of the government’s fiscal budget.
“The budget for the community communications department (J-Kom) is nearly RM40 million, while that of the Prime Minister’s Department is close to half a billion. Promises were made in the budget, (just) fulfil them,” Saddiq said in a podcast by PAS TV.
He also questioned why the scheme was limited to only 10 districts, some of which are in Selangor, a state which is believed to have its own medical scheme for its residents.
On Friday, Dzulkefly denied that the Madani medical scheme will be scrapped, saying it will continue with the collaboration of private clinics and focus on 10 specific districts with the primary goal of reducing patient congestion and waiting time at emergency departments.
Implementation of the scheme will now only focus on Kuala Lumpur; Gombak, Hulu Langat, Petaling and Klang in Selangor; Johor Bahru (Johor); Kinta (Perak); greater George Town (Penang); Kota Kinabalu (Sabah) and Kuching (Sarawak).
In the 2024 budget announcement last year, Anwar announced that the medical scheme would be expanded this year with a budget of RM100 million. - FMT
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